CLINICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF ATOPIC DERMATITIS IN CHILDREN IN THE HOT CLIMATE OF UZBEKISTAN

Introduction. Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a global problem of the 21st century, as the number of people suffering from this disease is steadily increasing, and around the world, about 20% of the population with clinical manifestations of this disease seek medical help. Aim of the study. Evaluation of the clinical course of AD in children in the hot climate of Uzbekistan. Patients and methods. 215 patients with atopic dermatitis aged from 1 to 18 years were under observation. The severity of AD was determined using the SCORAD index. Results. Among 215 patients, the erythematous-squamous form was observed in 63 (29.3%), erythematous-squamous with lichenification — in 47 (21.8%), lichenoid — in 55 (25.6%), exudative — in 34 (15.8%), and pruriginous form of AD — in 16 (7.4%). Most observed patients were adolescents, and the number of boys and girls with AD in this group was similar (49.6% and 50.4%, respectively). In terms of severity, taking into account the SCORAD index, in infancy, most patients had moderate (47.4%) and mild (36.8%) clinical course; in childhood — moderate (56.1%); in adolescence — moderate (40.3%) and severe (33.8%). In infancy, the exudative form was the most prevalent (52.6%). At the age of 2 to 11 years, the erythematous-squamous and lichenoid forms were the most frequently diagnosed (43.8% and 31.6% of cases, respectively). Meanwhile, at the age of 12 to 18 years, the patients were characterized by a different distribution of forms: the erythematous-squamous form with lichenification was observed in 28.1%, the lichenoid form — in 26.6%, and the erythematous-squamous form in 20.8%. Conclusion. In the present study, we assessed the relative frequency of forms of atopic dermatitis in children of different age groups in the hot climate of Uzbekistan.